Derivative Financial Instruments and Fair Value of Financial Instruments

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS AND FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

Palmarejo Gold Production Royalty

On January 21, 2009, the Company entered into a gold production royalty transaction with Franco-Nevada Corporation. The minimum royalty obligation ends when payments have been made on a total of 400,000 ounces of gold. As of March 31, 2012, a total of 239,974 ounces of gold remain outstanding under the minimum royalty obligation. The price volatility associated with the minimum royalty obligation is considered an embedded derivative financial instrument under U.S. GAAP. The fair value of the embedded derivative at March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011 was a liability of $171.8 million and $159.4 million, respectively. During the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, mark-to-market adjustments for this embedded derivative amounted to a loss of $12.4 million and a gain of $1.1 million, respectively. For the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, realized losses on settlement of the liabilities were $13.2 million and $7.5 million, respectively. The mark-to-market adjustments and realized losses are included in fair value adjustments, net in the consolidated statement of operations.

Forward Foreign Exchange Contracts

The Company periodically enters into forward foreign currency contracts to reduce the foreign exchange risk associated with forecasted Mexican peso (“MXP”) operating costs at its Palmarejo mine. At March 31, 2012, the Company had MXP foreign exchange contracts of $25.8 million in U.S. dollars. These contracts require the Company to exchange U.S. dollars for MXP at a weighted average exchange rate of 12.78 MXP to each U.S. dollar and had a fair value of $(0.5) million at March 31, 2012. At December 31, 2011, the Company had MXP foreign exchange contracts of $25.5 million in U.S. dollars. These contracts required the Company to exchange U.S. dollars for MXP at a weighted average exchange rate of 12.40 MXP to each U.S. dollar and had a fair value of $(3.2) million at December 31, 2011. The Company recorded mark-to-market gains on these contracts of $2.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2012, and mark-to-market gains of $1.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2011. These mark-to-market adjustments are reflected in fair value adjustments, net. The Company recorded realized gains (losses) of $(0.8) million and $0.3 million in production costs applicable to sales during the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

Concentrate Sales Contracts

The Company enters into concentrate sales contracts with third-party smelters. The contracts, in general, provide for a provisional payment based upon provisional assays and quoted metal prices. The provisionally priced sales contain an embedded derivative that is required to be separated from the host contract for accounting purposes. The host contract is the receivable from the sale of concentrates at the forward price at the time of sale. The embedded derivative, which is the final settlement price based on a future price, does not qualify for hedge accounting. These embedded derivatives are recorded as derivative assets (in Prepaid expenses and other) or derivative liabilities (in Accrued liabilities and other) on the balance sheet and are adjusted to fair value through earnings each period until the date of final settlement. At March 31, 2012, the Company had outstanding provisionally priced sales of $16.2 million, consisting of 0.3 million ounces of silver and 3,181 ounces of gold, which had a fair value of $16.7 million including the embedded derivative. At December 31, 2011, the Company had outstanding provisionally priced sales of $22.5 million consisting of 0.2 million ounces of silver and 9,701 ounces of gold, which had a fair value of approximately $21.7 million including the embedded derivative.

Commodity Derivatives

As of March 31, 2012, in connection with the Kensington term facility, the Company had outstanding call options requiring it to deliver 136,000 ounces of gold at a weighted average strike price of $1,919.83 per ounce if the market price of gold exceeds the strike price. At March 31, 2012, the Company had outstanding put options allowing it to sell 173,000 ounces of gold at a weighted average strike price of $954.74 per ounce if the market price of gold were to fall below the strike price. The contracts will expire over the next four years. As of March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, the fair market value of these contracts was a net liability of $17.7 million and $17.9 million, respectively. During the three months ended March 31, 2012 no gold call options expired. During the three months ended March 31, 2012, 17,000 ounces of gold put options expired resulting in a realized loss of $0.7 million. During the three months ended March 31, 2011, 11,250 ounces of gold call options at a weighted average strike price of $1,723.11 expired resulting in a realized gain of $0.7 million and 11,250 ounces of gold put options at a weighted average strike price of $878.56 per ounce expired resulting in a realized loss of $0.7 million. During the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, the Company recorded unrealized gains (losses) of $0.2 million and $(0.7) million, respectively, related to the outstanding options which was included in fair value adjustments, net.

In connection with the sale of the Cerro Bayo mine to Mandalay Resources Corporation, the Company received the right to 125,000 ounces of silver to be delivered in six equal quarterly installments commencing in the third quarter of 2011. The third installment of 20,833 ounces was received on March 31, 2012 and the Company realized a $0.3 million gain on the settlement. The Company recognized mark to market gains of $0.1 million and $0.8 million associated with this silver in the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The silver had a fair value of $2.0 million at March 31, 2012, and a fair value of $2.3 million at December 31, 2011.

As of March 31, 2012, the Company had the following derivative instruments that settle in each of the years indicated in the table (in thousands except average rates, ounces and per share data):

	2012		2013		2014		Thereafter
Palmarejo gold production royalty	$	20,784	$	25,097	$	24,895	$	48,337
Average gold price in excess of minimum contractual deduction	$	499	$	502	$	498	$	492
Notional ounces	41,670		50,004		50,004		98,296
Mexican peso forward purchase contracts	$	25,800	$	—	$	—	$	—
Average rate (MXP/$)	$	12.78	$	—	$	—	$	—
Mexican peso notional amount	329,603		—		—		—
Silver ounces receivable from Mandalay	$	1,152	$	—	$	—	$	—
Average silver forward price	$	18.43	$	—	$	—	$	—
Notional ounces	62,500		—		—		—
Silver concentrate sales agreements	$	10,689	$	—	$	—	$	—
Average silver price	$	31.71	$	—	$	—	$	—
Notional ounces	337,058		—		—		—
Gold concentrates sales agreements	$	5,500	$	—	$	—	$	—
Average gold price	$	1,729	$	—	$	—	$	—
Notional ounces	3,181		—		—		—
Gold put options purchased	$	2,160	$	1,800	$	720	$	—
Average gold strike price	$	923	$	928	$	979	$	1,010
Notional ounces	51,000		45,000		47,000		30,000
Gold call options sold	$	—	$	1,800	$	720	$	—
Average gold strike price	2,000		1,827		1,934		2,000
Notional ounces	14,000		45,000		47,000		30,000

The following summarizes the classification of the fair value of the derivative instruments as of March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011 (in thousands):

	March 31, 2012
	Prepaid expenses and other		Accrued liabilities and other		Other long- term liabilities		Current portion of royalty obligation		Non-current portion of royalty obligation
Silver ounces receivable from Mandalay	$	899	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	—
Forward foreign exchange contracts	480		978		—		—		—
Palmarejo gold production royalty	—		—		—		40,909		130,888
Put and call options, net	—		3,501		14,183		—		—
Concentrate sales contracts	634		122		—		—		—
	$	2,013	$	4,601	$	14,183	$	40,909	$	130,888

	December 31, 2011
	Prepaid expenses and other		Accrued liabilities and other		Other long- term Liabilities		Current portion of royalty obligation		Non-current portion of royalty obligation
Silver ounces receivable from Mandalay	$	814	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	—
Forward foreign exchange contracts	—		3,188		—		—		—
Palmarejo gold production royalty	—		—		—		37,206		122,194
Put and call options, net	—		3,183		14,669		—		—
Concentrate sales contracts	—		825		—		—		—
	$	814	$	7,196	$	14,669	$	37,206	$	122,194

The following represent mark-to-market gains (losses) on derivative instruments for the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011 (in thousands):

		Three months ended March 31,
Financial statement line	Derivative	2012			2011
Sales of metal	Concentrate sales contracts	$	1,336		$	(1,349	)
Production costs applicable to sales	Forward foreign exchange contracts	(783		)	252
Fair value adjustments, net	Gold lease facility	—			(132		)
Fair value adjustments, net	Forward foreign exchange contracts	2,690			1,005
Fair value adjustments, net	Forward gold contract	—			35
Fair value adjustments, net	Silver ounces receivable	359			831
Fair value adjustments, net	Palmarejo gold royalty	(25,611		)	(6,343		)
Fair value adjustments, net	Put and call options	(551		)	(698		)
		$	(22,560	)	$	(6,399	)

Credit Risk

The credit risk exposure related to any potential derivative instruments is limited to the unrealized gains, if any, on outstanding contracts based on current market prices. To reduce counter-party credit exposure, the Company deals with financial institutions management deems credit worthy and limits credit exposure to each. The Company does not anticipate non-performance by any of its counterparties. In addition, to allow for situations where positions may need to be revised, the Company deals only in markets that management considers highly liquid.